Daimler India Commercial Vehicles (DICV) expects sales of its buses in the country to more than double this year to over 1,000 units riding on new product introductions.

The company, which is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Germany's Daimler AG, sells front-engine buses and coaches in the volume segment under the BharatBenz range, while it is present in the premium segment with Mercedes-Benz rear-engine coaches.

Its bus business is operated under Daimler Buses India, catering to the domestic market. The company today expanded its BharatBenz portfolio with launch of all-new 16-tonne intercity coach to add to the existing 9-tonne school, staff and tourist buses.

"Last year we sold 500 units and this year we are looking to more than double it at over 1,000 units," Daimler Buses India Managing Director Markus Villinger told PTI.

He said the growth in bus sales in India will be driven mainly by the BharatBenz range as it plans to enhance portfolio this year.

Later this year, a rear-engine 16-tonne bus will also be launched.

Bullish on the Indian market, Villinger said: "As the GDP of the country grows, there will be more inter-city travels. Buses will continue to compete with other modes of travel like trains."

The all-new BharatBenz intercity coach has been designed to take inter-city travel to the next level, a safer and more comfortable experience for passengers and drivers, and more value for operators at the same time, he added.

"We are very confident to capture opportunities in this growing segment," Villinger added.

DICV has invested Rs 425 crore to produce buses from its Oragadam plant near Chennai with an initial capacity of 1,500 units per annum, scalable up to 4,000 units a year.

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